Weighing up a big

This will require expenditure on infrastructure in the order of $570,000,000. And that is only the initial cost — maintenance of that infrastructure is additional.

Yes, I know that sounds a lot, until you consider the massive costs of items like hospitals, electricity generation and transmission, water storages, sewerage, freeways, public transport, universities etc.

No Australian state or territory is keeping up with the infrastructure needed to support our breakneck population growth, and given the weak financial position of all Australian governments, there is no realistic prospect they ever will.

Then there is the matter of climate change. Governments are rightly concerned about this issue, but they will not talk about the effect that having more people has on the matter. It is people who use electricity, drive cars, eat meat, etc. The more people, the more carbon dioxide.

Cutting back our population growth would have a huge effect on our CO2 emissions, given that each person is estimated to generate about 58.6 tonnes of CO2 per annum — a total of about 22 million tonnes just for our population increase last year. Why don’t we talk about this.

I suggest the disadvantages of growing our population are far greater than the advantages. If put to the Australian people, I am sure they would agree. Bob Couch is convenor and cofounder of the Stop Population Growth Now Party, which has contested the last three South Australian elections.